The annual Domaine de la Romanée-Conti trade tasting for wine professionals in the United States is one of the most anticipated tastings of the year. On February 25, at the famous Le Bernardin restaurant in New York, I had the chance to check out the release of the new 2011 DRC vintage with the co-director of the domaine, Aubert de Villaine

On August 25th I raced my first full distance
Ironman in Louisville KY. I spent the
better part of a year training for this epic event (the toughest physical
challenge of my life). The day after
racing I received an amazing invitation to race Ironman Kona on behalf of the
ironman Foundation. I was
overwhelmed. After a few days of
thinking it over this was my response to the ironman Foundation:

David Deschenes

Executive Director

Ironman Foundation

RE: Invitation to
Race Ironman World Championship Kona, HI

Dear David,

It's been a pretty wild
few days, completing my first Ironman in Louisville on Sunday, and then
receiving your generous invitation on Monday. I have since taken time to
reflect on the prospect of racing IM Kona. Many would say it is truly a once in
a lifetime opportunity. It's astonishing to know that, thanks to you, before me
is a chance to take part in something I know most people will never be
fortunate enough to experience It would be an honor without compare to
race on behalf of the Ironman Foundation and participate among the athletes who
have inspired me along my trying journey to Louisville, the athletes who, at
Kona, will in turn inspire countless others. I'm now faced with one of the
toughest decisions I'll ever have to make.

Something else you wrote
had a profound affect on me. You mentioned the chance to race on hallowed
grounds. I am certain that every serious endurance athlete considers IM Kona
just that. Coincidently, it is also a reference we use in my business to
describe legendary wineries and the land upon which their renowned vines grow.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy is one of these preeminent sites. Your
words reminded me: DRC is my hallowed ground, and it always will be. It is my
symbol of the decades of work and experience that have gotten me to where I am
in the industry. I have not raced my whole life to earn a spot at Kona, as so
many athletes have done and will do. The experience, the desire, the sheer dint
of force may someday be mine such that I could come to Kona, but I'm not there
yet.

You've also gotten me
thinking about my motivation to join this sport and what drove me to race a
full distance Ironman. My goals, at the outset, were clear: my sister had
died tragically, and I needed to get physically and emotionally healthy in the
devastating aftermath, so that I wouldn't implode. I felt compelled to
help raise money—and, more importantly, awareness—to fight an illness that
takes the lives of more people than auto accidents each year. The long
hours of training gave me time for soul-searching, for reckoning, and,
ultimately, physical and emotional healing. After eleven grueling months,
I emerged with more than just physical acuity; I emerged with an iron
mind. I knew myself better than I ever had before. I understood the
experience of losing a sibling from a perspective I never would have had
without Ironman. Along with my dedicated network of friends and loved ones, we
managed to raise more than $46,000 for the Mayo Clinic. Working with you and
your team at the Ironman Foundation, we emerged as the largest fundraiser for
the entire season. The Your Journey, Your Cause platform should be
recognized as a dynamic masterpiece of support, bridging the determination,
will, and emotion of athletes of varying abilities by allowing them to achieve
monumental personal goals. We all know it’s these goals that are the most
significant and deserve the greatest recognition.

I consider my inaugural
season in Ironman an amazing success. Racing four 70.3’s and culminating
with Louisville’s 140.6. I have met so many people along the fundraising
journey that have inspired me and offered me broad perspective on what is truly
important in life. I have forged new friendships that will last throughout
my life. I already look forward to returning to race with Troy and Frankie in
the XC platform again. I have rekindled relationships with the people I know
are so important to my equilibrium and the nourishment of my soul. And for all
of this, I want to thank you and the entire team at Ironman, because without
this structure, this resurrecting experience would never have been possible.

The opportunity to race
will always be one of the greatest honors I've ever been bestowed, and so it is
with a heavy heart that I must respectfully decline your invitation to
participate in Ironman World Championship Kona. I must instead take the time to
continue to reflect on the amazing journey I've just completed, and to look
forward to the amazing journeys I hope we'll have the opportunity to take
together in the future. I am confident you will understand and support my very
difficult decision.